asked the Minister for Local Government why planning permission has been granted for the conversion of a residential house into offices at Newtown, Waterford, despite the unanimous wish of Waterford Corporation that this area be zoned and maintained for residential purposes.

Permission was granted on appeal for the change of use of the house in question from use as a nursery school to use as offices because it did not appear that the change of use would be contrary to the proper planning and development of the area or injurious to the amenities of the area.

Is the Minister not aware that Waterford Corporation put a great deal of work, as did the officials of the corporation, into the development plan for Waterford and this is just scrapped by a stroke of the Minister's pen? Is there any point in our having development plans when the Minister can come back and change them overnight?

The planning authority refused permission for the proposed development on 15th December, 1972, on the sole ground that it would contravene the use of the zoning objectives in the development plans for Waterford city and that decision was appealed to the Minister on 12th January, 1973. The inspector who dealt with the case saw no objection to the decision and I believe the decision to grant the appeal was correct. I also believe that, since it was being used not for an entirely different purpose there was no question of change of zoning and therefore I could see nothing wrong with the decision.

If it was zoned as a residential area——

It was used as a nursery school——

Agreed.

——and zoned by Waterford Corporation as a residential area——

No, and 15 days ago they sent a request to the Minister for it not to be re-zoned.

The recommendation was that there would be no intrusion on the privacy of residents in the area because the house stands in fairly extensive grounds and the latest previous use of the house was not residential and there would be no external structural changes in the house. For that reason the decision to allow the appeal was taken and I can find nothing wrong with it.